The Circle of War II
by Might is Right
Summary: A wise old mage once said, "Prepare yourself for the future, for unexpected consequences may arise". The race for the middle piece has begun and the enemies have acquired new powers and they will prove to be the biggest challenges ever faced by any mage.
1. Balance of Power

**Hello and welcome to the second part of Circle of War! I forgot to mention this last chapter but this story also follows the technological advances that are made during this time. As well as the political history of this world. Anyways, please enjoy this chapter!**

_It had been a week since Otto Evadeus retrieved the middle piece from the meteorite in Delray. Hyde and the others were forced to flee as hundreds of Black Army soldiers gave chase to them. However Hyde and his friends did not give up hope. They were sheltered by Fairy Tail and Illuminati and they stayed at the guilds for several days. Goliath had yet to report news to Hyde and everyone was on the lookout for the top piece that would be critical to the upcoming struggle. But deep within the criminal and political world, the balance of power was shifting…._

**Assassin Guild, Nox**

The entire guild was dark, the old wood floors cold. The only activity of life was a group of men surrounding a bed in which a very old man lay, sick and weak. The man had a great grey beard that went down to his feet, dark grey eyes and a black shroud was covering his entire body besides his head. Death was reclaiming one of her angles. The man shivered as the men around his bed murmured. They were all of various sizes and they were all guild masters of the guilds that made up the infamous group of assassin guilds, Blood Oath. Nox was the oldest and strongest of the assassin guilds. Their only rival was Inner Circle, the guild that Wulf led and he stood at the foot of the bed where the old man lay. Nox had not been a guild until the year 0 when the guild system was approved by popular vote. But before that time, Nox had been a group of notorious criminals who banded together to combat law enforcement. The guild master was named Sakren Bolos and he had served under the Sagonian Regime and had been a trusted advisor of King Matsu, the last king of the Black Isles.

Nox took hundreds of years to eliminate those who had joined the group only for protection against law enforcement. The group eventually became a select group of criminals that eventually started to polish off into assassins. They were the oldest dark guild and Sakren was about to return to his position as the first servant of the goddess of death who they had worshipped so greatly. Suddenly he let out a violent cough that sent all the men into a flurry of whispering. Sakren regained control of the cough and spoke, his voice soft and weak.

"Tell me brothers. What is the assassin's law?" he asked, his dark grey eyes reflecting the darkness of the room.

"Strike by night. Kill only what you can kill in the afterlife. Send your victims on a road to our protector, Death. Know that those who die are not in pain any longer." All the men said at once, creating a huge chant.

Sakren slowly nodded and he reached underneath him to pull out a half circle made of pure silver. There were words written into the shining silver and everyone fell silent as Sakren started to read the inscriptions etched into it.

"Peace. That is what the inscription says. Soon, I will have peace. I have carried this burden for over a thousand years waiting for the perfect time to let the world decide its own fate. Matsu told me this before he sent me off with it. He split the accursed circle into 3 parts and handed me the upper half and gave the 2 other pieces to his sons. Each was told to protect it!" Sakren suddenly spit angrily.

Sakren seemed to shake with dark anger and dark storm clouds started to gather outside of the building in the deep woods. The bed started to rattle and the windows started to shake. Everyone didn't even seem fazed by this. They knew of Sakren's great power even in his dying state. Sakren looked in each of the men's faces that were surrounding his bed.

"Everyone failed but me! I did what I was told! The young fools of Matsu took the pieces and joined them together! Power they said they wanted! It brought only ruin to them and it seemed like the pieces were cursed to those who did not follow Matsu's directions! I now know that I was right to follow his directions. I led the Blood Oath for over a thousand years and it is finally time for me to relinquish this silver piece. I chose my successor now, at my death bed, according to tradition!" Sakren shouted dramatically as the storm clouds sent hail and thunder roaring outside.

Sakren pointed to Wulf and the silver piece seemed to glow black and it suddenly disappeared.

"Wulf! You will lead the Blood Oat and Nox! Let go of your leadership at Inner Circle and choose your own successor!" Sakren said weakly, suddenly he stopped and laid back in his bed. His voice was growing softer and softer. "Strike by night…."

Sakren's eyes closed and all the men bowed to both Sakren's body and Wulf who bowed to them in return. The room suddenly flashed with light and a woman was standing next to Wulf. She wore a grey robe and her long red hair trailed down it. She seemed to be at tears.

"Sakren! My son!" she wailed as she held onto the cold corpse of the assassin master.

All the assassin guild masters bowed to the woman. Jalginfer, the goddess of death! Both Jalginfer and Sakren's body started to fade away as the men stood and watched their old leader disappear in a slow fading grey light.

The balance of power had shifted dramtically.

**The fortress of Adrianople**

Natasha de Grace stood in the gardens at the very back of the fortress. Her white hair blew in the slight breeze and she was quite content with the sunlight that warmed her old and feeble body. Legend said that this was the garden of Noel Evadeus, the saint of healing and medicine and that he had tended to this garden during his short life. Natasha also knew that it was turn. She had led a good life. Being chosen by the prince, that dashing young man, the devilish grin he gave her when she had filed past him when all the girls visited him in the fortress. It was sad that he was not here to see her for the final time. Natasha laid down in the soft green grass, feeling the warmth enter her old bones and wrinkled skin that had once been beautiful. She closed her eye and said her final words to the air.

"My husband, Adrian Evadeus. Such a fool you were to choose an old woman like me to be your bride forever. Until death do us apart. Saint Evadeus, hear my prayer now, bring me to peace and satisfaction in the world beyond this wicked world of evil and strife…" she said quietly to the slight breeze.

Her gilded robes seemed to shift in the wind a voice was barely heard through her fading hearing.

"That is my title. I guarantee you, Natasha de Grace, the first consul of the Garlan Empire, a life of happiness in the afterlife. Should you accept, you will leave behind a spot that will have to be filled by the ambitions of others. Do you accept this burden upon your soul for all eternity? Your time has not yet come but you choose to rest forever now. Speak for time is short."

Natasha already had her mind made up.

"I do." She whispered.

"Then the words of marriage and death have been spoken. Rest and be happy forever."

Natasha felt a warm feeling, and then slowly opened her eyes. She was standing in an open field with the sun's rays shining down on her. She had peace.

_Natasha's death was the biggest news of the year. The first consul had died and Francisco Ortega was quick to seize the title of first consul for himself. Tate became the second consul and Livia became the third. The balance of power in the world of politics was greatly upset by the death of Natasha. Who knew what schemes Ortega was planning with his new found power? The news swept through the world like the Burnholt Plague and soon, word reached Bermin. Adrian dropped everything and hurried to Adrianople. Cyrus withdrew to his room but Otto and Bartholomew were not affected greatly by the death of their grandmother. The royal family wore black as a sign of respect and great black flags were hung from the castle walls. But there were much more sinister things happening within the fortress._

**Bartholomew**

Bartholomew stared down at the grey lacrima that lay in the hands of the family doctor. Bartholomew didn't trust the doctor and with the recent lose of his left eye, he didn't trust anyone but family. The doctor was a short man, entirely bald, wearing a white lab coat and wearing gold rimmed glasses.

"What is it?" Bartholomew asked suspiciously.

The doctor smiled slyly and whispered to Bartholomew.

"It is a lacrima of great power. It was a historic moment for any child who received a blessing like this one. Rare, it was to come across a child who could use such power." The old man said as Bartholomew took the lacrima from the man's hand.

It was grey, small and about the size of his eye. At his touch, the lacrima flared up, turning a dark red color. It would occasionally shift colors, from red to orange in his hand. Bartholomew looked up at the doctor.

"What did you say this was again?" he asked.

The man whispered to him the answer to his question.

"Dragon Lacrima."

**Ahaha another cliffhanger sort of thing for you! I hope you enjoyed this! FF**


	2. The legend of Fairy Tail

**Here is the new chapter! I changed the story name mainly because I felt like it didn't reflect the story all that well and it w as weird having a 2 part story with different names. **

**Also, huge thanks to Applegirl3223 who Beta read this chapter! Enjoy!**

**Hospital **

"Aghh!" Bartholomew grunted as the lacrima was inserted in his empty eye socket.

Bartholomew sat there, alone for the witch doctor had left, holding his eye. He was desperately hoping that the lacrima would work and return vision to him.

"Come on Bartholomew…you can do it…" he sighed as he moved his hand away from his eye.

The improvement was remarkable. Instantly, he could see! Bartholomew jumped from his hospital bed in joy and danced around the bland room, knocking over a coat rack and a table.

"I can see!" he shouted and jumped for joy.

When Bartholomew landed, he and quickly noticed something about his new vision. The eye that had been replaced by the lacrima, it was strange because it seemed to see farther than the normal eye. It also made the world appear, more lifelike. He could also easily calculate distance! Bartholomew grinned as he stopped in front of the mirror in the hospital room to see his face for the first time in a few days.

His blonde hair was flat, sticking close to his head and his new eye, it was strange because the lacrima had adapted well to the space where the eye would have been. It seemed to have quickly bonded with the nerves and it looked, normal. Besides the eye, his body seemed normal. He was still thin, tall and his blue eye stared back at him. With trembling hands Bartholomew reached up to touch his face.

"So this is how far I am willing to go. Sacrifice an eye for the future." Bartholomew murmured to himself as he observed the lacrimal eye that twisted and turned within the socket.

He tore himself from the mirror to grab the clothes that were laid out for him on the chair that stood next to the mirror. He quickly dressed into the white dress shirt, black robes and white dress pants that were given. He considered wearing armor but he decided against it. He grinned to himself as he left the hospital room for the corridors of the fortress.

'Those rogues will have hell to pay.'

**The Machine Shop**

Crack sat alone, illuminated by a spotlight that was attached to the ceiling. He was sitting at a table and was fiddling with some strange mechanical device. His bored face observed the gears as they turned rapidly and his hair seemed to blend with the darkness. His white lab coat was the only thing that was visible besides his face.

"I don't like people. Politics are useless to me. When will the fools of Adrianople learn that the more they meddle with the affairs of the natives, the angrier they become? That is why I turn to inventions. Yes…I will create things. That is the only way I can be satisfied…" Crack muttered to himself as he added another gear to the massive collection.

This would go on for hours, the mechanics were told not to disturb Crack while he worked and he often sat alone, working on random gadgets. He would add gears to the contraption, mutter to himself about inventions and then continue working. But today was a special day. He was building something that could revolutionize warfare forever. He had noticed that the autobow most soldiers carried didn't fire fast enough and because the arrow shaft was so delicate, the gears had to be more careful, resulting in a mediocre speed at which the arrow would fly. It was almost perfect.

Crack wanted to do something more than shoot arrows. He saw a long battlefield, the trucks carrying soldiers rumbling over the field and his new gun attached to the truck. The pistols of this age were, poor. Accuracy was sacrificed for power and rarely did anyone die from a pistol or rifle shot. However, Crack was creating something that would make the pistol and rifle more useful. He called it, The Mechanik Ghever. It was Garlan for "Mechanic Gun". He simply took the autobow mechanism, added a few gears and fed a chain of bullets into the feeding mechanism intended for arrows.

The results were magnificent. The bullets shot out like bolts from the blue. they were literally invisible because they travelled so fast. They were also accurate with only 1 misfire in a series of 1000 bullet tests and every single bullet hit the middle area of the target.

"Excellent! It seems that the goddess of invention has smiled upon me!" Crack said as he smiled and turned to another table that had a copper sheet and a hammer on it. Crack took the copper sheet and hammered the sheet around the mechanism to protect it, cutting the sheet so that the bullet feed would still be useable. Crack grinned as he stepped back and looked at his creation. The beaten copper shined in the spotlight and the metal 3 legged tripod held it upright while a short barrel of metal provided even more accuracy. A feed of bullets hung from the feeder and he flicked off the spotlight as he turned and left the workshop.

"Inventing, brings me peace…"

**Magnolia**

The legendary guild of Fairy Tail had not changed much over the 150 years that had passed since the Last Nightmare Mage had awoken. Makarov had long passed away at the age of 120, leaving Gildartz to run the guild as the 5th master. He was an old man now, still retaining the extended lifespan of a wizard saint. Most of the old guild members had passed away besides a few long lived members such as Wakaba, Macao, Natsu and Gray. Romeo had also grown up into a fine young man,, hearing stories about the world before the Garlan Empire. He grew up hearing the heroics of Julius, Noel and Seraph. He also grew up hearing the devilish deeds of Toy Box, Anastasia, The Big Four and The Nightmare Mages.

The guild had soon proven themselves once again the strongest guild in Fiore with the breakup of Sabertooth by Cyrus. Most of the old members of Sabertooth joined Fairy Tail. It was a miracle that Fairy Tail had survived this long. Sara and Darius had tolerated them. Adrian had reduced their power considerably only because he didn't like their destructive behavior and Cyrus had completely downsized their power. And it seemed as the future king, Otto Evadeus, intended to disband the guild forever. But Gildartz had other plans. He had formulated a conspiracy with the guild masters of other guilds to overthrow the Garlan Empire.

Magnolia had grown considerably since the arrival of Sara Evadeus. The citizens of then Arcana were ordered to leave the city and move somewhere else. Most of them went to Magnolia. The town's population swelled to well over half a million. The city was the 3rd biggest city on the continent with only Adrianople and Crocus rivaling it.

Hyde and his friends rested there now. Taking a well deserved rest from days on the run. The entire group had been labeled as "Rogue" and any town that sheltered them was open to immediate martial law. Fairy Tail had kept them safe and they were getting ready to start searching for the middle piece.

**Fairy Tail**

The group of rogues stood outside of the Fairy Tail guild building, about to leave. Hyde had gotten some new clothes, a white lab coat like jacket, a new pack and his hair was actually combed for once. He had his sword strapped to his back and everyone else was looking good as new as well. Tadaaki and Hitoshi wore matching black jackets with the Ryuusaga emblem woven into the soft black fabric in gold. Lucia had chosen to have her old clothes washed instead of making Fairy Tail pay for new clothes. Norman insisted on wearing his ancient sailor's uniform and Lidia had her clothes simply washed as well.

The town seemed peaceful with birds chirping in the huge oak trees near the guild, the sun shining on the guild and the sounds of business from the town below. A few of the Fairy Tail mages stood outside the guild to say farewell to the group of rogues as they ventured into the cold and dark world. Gildartz shook Hyde's hand as they said their final goodbyes.

Gildartz had grown old since the death of Makarov and sported a great beard of ginger hair that was starting to go gray. He was as imposing as ever, looking like he was still the man he used to be, almost 100 years ago. Natsu hadn't aged nearly as much, being a dragon slayer. He still had that personality that made Lidia want to go smack him. He was loud, outgoing and still had that fierce rivalry with Gray. He was grinning hugely at the group now. Gray on the other hand was old. Not nearly as old as Gildartz but the years had taken their toll on Gray. His once dark blue hair was starting to fade and his face showed the scars of many fights. Gildartz finally decided to say the words of goodbye. He pulled Hyde into a huge bear hug and Hyde ended up being squished between the huge man and his muscular arms.

"Gah! G-Gildartz! No!" Hyde wheezed as Gildartz apologized and let him go.

Hyde paused to catch his breath and rearrange his bones. That man, was still a behemoth of power. Gildartz took on a serious face and faced Hyde as he stood upright.

"Hyde. I don't know where you are going, but I know that you will succeed in leading this group. Always know that Fairy Tail is a home for you and your friends and any Fairy Tail mage you come across will be an ally." Gildartz said to Hyde as he turned to leave.

Hyde smiled and he waved to Gildartz and they started walking down the long dirt road that led into the city. Everyone else smiled and gave their thanks to Fairy Tail as they left. The entire air filled with words of gratitude and Gildartz shouted some more words of advice.

"Oh and when you meet Cyrus, give him hell!" he shouted to the group as they started to walk down the dirt path.

"Yeah!" Natsu and Gray said together.

They looked at each other and immediately started to argue.

"Oh I see, trying to copy me popsicle?" Natsu said to the ice mage.

"I can take you easily. I'm going to enjoy grinding you into ice shards." Gray shot back as they tackled each other.

The arguments faded as Lidia and the others walked farther but Lidia could still hear their constant bickering.

"Do those idiots ever stop fighting?" Lidia asked as she slumped forward in an exhausted motion.

Everyone burst out laughing. The sight of Gray and Natsu fighting reminded them of better days. Hyde kept the words of Gildartz in his mind.

'Give him hell Gildartz? Oh I will. I will guarantee it.' Hyde said as he pushed his brown hair back with his right hand and tapped the sword sheath on his back with the other.

**Otto**

Otto was reading, again. He seemed to have trouble doing anything without reading Balviron. He was drawn to the book, no matter what he did. He sat in his comfortable room, fireplace blazing, feet out on a stack of old books on magic and his black cape wrapped around him. He had almost forgotten to wear black in respect for his grandmother.

But those thoughts didn't matter to him now. His dark brown eyes gazed over hundreds of words stamped into the iron pages of the book and he was particularly interested in something called "God Slayer". It seemed that anyone who undertook this high pressure magic gained the powers of a god. The talk of gods was nonsensical to Otto for he was a pagan like his father. Gods held no power over him. He continued reading until he came to a section that read "Earth God Slayer".

"Now what is this…" Otto muttered to himself as he absent mindedly stood from his comfortable sofa and walked around the room, reading the words in the book.

It was startlingly simple. All he had to do was sacrifice a certain amount of earthworms to the earth god and he would gain the power of the earth god. Why earthworms?

'Disgusting creatures…' Otto thought disdainfully as he called for a servant to bring him 100 earthworms from wherever earthworms lived.

He sat back in his chair and waited for the earthworms to be brought to him. It took a while but the servant eventually walked in with a jar filled with earthworms and Otto took the jar into his hands. The servant retreated and Otto almost gagged from how disgusting they were.

"For the good of the empire." Otto reassured himself as he opened the jar and walked to the fireplace. He held the jar over the fire, warming his hands at the same time.

He flipped the jar upside down and the worms started to tumble into the flames and Otto spoke the words that were needed to gain the powers of a god.

"Earth God, Terra, I sacrifice to you! Lend me your powers for I have given you 100 of your sacred earthworms!" Otto shouted demandingly into the ground.

The last of the worms had burned away in the fire and Otto next to the fireplace feeling stupid. Had it not worked? Did he say the words wrong? Suddenly Otto felt a stabbing pain in his foot and he dropped to his knees. The pain started to rise through his body and Otto could felt every blow of pain as he fell to the hard stone floor of the room. Suddenly he saw a stony hand reach from the ground and grab his leg and soon, dozens of hands rose from the ground and grabbed him. Otto screamed, screamed louder than he had in his entire life.

"H-HELP! HELP ME!" he screamed as the hands continued to grab his body.

"_Quiet fool! Did you not sacrifice to me? Terra, the earth goddess? Be still and I will give you what you desire! But there are unwritten laws within the book boy. Did you know the risks before taking this task? The last god slayer died in the burning flames of his pride. And so will you. Do you take these risks?" _a quiet voice asked from the stone floors.

Otto was about to go insane. Floors were talking! He continued to scream for help but his heart had made up its mind for him.

'Yes!' his heart unwillingly screamed to the stony hands that were grabbing him.

"_Then I will lend you my power, Otto Evadeus, crown prince of the Garlan Empire."_

A pain went through his heart and Otto could only open his mouth in pain as his vision fell to black.

**Crocus, the second biggest city in Fiore**

The city of Crocus was in dismal shape. Most of the buildings were old buildings with houses that had tin roofs or didn't have roofs at all. The city had once been the shining capital of the Kingdom of Fiore but had fallen into poverty with the ruling of the Big Four and it still continued to this day. The population was huge with around 5 million citizens but most of them were poor. The only person who lived in even the slightest luxury was the mayor, Allison Doma, the descendant of Guran Doma, the former chairman of the wizard council. Everyone in the city held a deep hatred for the Garlan Empire and words of rebellion were common in the dirty taverns. Even Allison herself considered organizing a rebellion against the tyranny of Cyrus. That was nothing but a dream until she was contacted by Gildartz of Fairy Tail one day.

Gildartz had told her that the guilds of Fiore were organizing a rebellion against Cyrus and he wanted the citizens of Crocus to join him. She agreed. She was a mage too, inheriting her ancestor's skill as a Phoenix Slayer and she was eagerly awaiting the day of the Empire' fall. She had busied herself by contacting several other guilds and spreading the words of rebellion and soon, they had amassed an army to overthrow the Garlan Empire. To make things even sweeter for the guilds, The Garlan Empire was on the verge of war with a powerful feudal lord on the Southern Continent. Their forces would be strained as they struggled against the Asarabians. The stage was set for something drastic. But there were even more drastic things happening within the city and the military.

**?**

Only the shadows of men could be seen from within the tent in the dark of night. They spoke with urgency.

"I grow tired of his majesty's fickle wishes. He sends my soldiers to the ends of this continent and then demands I travel back to Adrianople!" one of the men raved.

"Aye. He seems to be having fits of madness, sending our soldiers across the world in short notice. Does he not realize that the Red Army does not have an infinite amount of soldiers?" asked another man.

"Patience my friends. We will have victory soon enough. There is an important deal coming…"

**Alleyway in Crocus**

The alleyways stank, they were dangerous and frightening. But they were the only way street rats could get food. And one stood rummaging through a trash can in the dark alleyway next to a street overflowing with sewage. He was digging through the trash when his dirty hands fell upon a something cold and hard. His rags whipped in the wind as he pulled his hand out of the garbage to reveal a pure silver half circle with another half circle cut into the middle. Strange markings adorned it and the street rat's eyes glinted as he turned away from the garbage can.

"Sell this for a good price. E-eat food…."

**And thar we go. Took me a long time to actually finish it but it got done. I really don't know why the sacrifice to Terra was earthworms. Probably because they had earth in the name. Thanks for reading and please review! FF**


	3. A deal is made

**Well, im finally on Winter Break. Its about time I got some rest in. As for Ravens have tails, well I need to think about that story a bit more. A complication with rules came up and I REALLY like that story. Anyways, I will be going to New Orleans on Sunday so don't expect a post for about 3 days. I might be updating my blogger so you guys can check that for updates.**

**This chapter, is a bit sad. I don't know what I did but this idea came to me. Enjoy and happy holidays.**

**Crocus**

The group had entered Crocus, the second biggest city in Fiore. It was entirely made up of slums. Even the mayor was poor and not many people lived very long in the disease filled city. It had once been the capital of the Kingdom of Fiore but with the collapse of the kingdom, the royal family had been taken captive. Rumor said that they had been killed after they tried to escape from prison. But the death of the former royal family didn't make the city a slum. It had once been more prosperous than Arcana during Sara's reign but the city had fallen into madness afterwards.

The group walked through the dirty streets, on lookout for trouble. Crocus was known for the thieves that plagued the streets and hordes of mercenary soldiers. Hyde was in a particularly good mood as the group splashed through a puddle of mysterious brown liquid. Something like hundreds of people were out walking the street and most had not bathed in at least a week. Crocus was the city where all the refugees went and it showed.

"What are we doing here again?" Hyde asked as they passed an old store filled with weapons and armor.

The city did have shops but they were mostly dirty and run down. Lidia answered his question quickly.

"The upper piece of course. If Cyrus cant get his hands on the 2 other pieces, the circle will never be complete." Lidia explained to Hyde as they continued to walk through the crowd of smelly people.

But that still brought questions. And Hitoshi and Tadaaki were especially full of questions.

"But what happens to the other pieces when we get them?" Hitoshi asked Lidia.

Lidia looked at Hitoshi with her golden exotic eyes. Hitoshi seemed to be put on edge. Lidia smiled and everyone calmed down.

"We destroy the pieces of course. I intend to throw them into the volcano at Ash Town." Lidia said as they suddenly stopped at a seedy looking restaurant filled with hundreds of people.

The sign said "Jay's Poor Noodles". Hyde looked up at the sign and remembered something. Jay's Poor Noodles…hmmm….

"Anyone hungry? Im starving." Lidia said as she started to enter the restaurant.

Everyone nodded and entered with her. Inside, it was bigger than expected. At least a hundred people were eating noodles within the restaurant and several cooks were seen in the back cooking. A young man with blue eyes, a stained apron and blonde hair was standing at the register, pointing people to tables. The sitting area was mostly benches made of old wood and several tables in the middle of the restaurant. There also seemed to be private eating areas but not many were eating in there. Lucia and Norman looked up at the big wooden board that hung over the young man's head and read it. It seemed to be the menu.

"Poor Noodles….zero coppers. Wait, so all food is free here?" Lucia and Norman exclaimed, starting to feel a lot more hungry.

Lidia nodded and pointed to one of the private booths in the back. Inside sat an old man with a long white beard, short stature and white hair thinning on his head. He wore a light blue robe and he was eating a bowel of noodles.

"See him? We are here to see him. His name is Jay and he runs the restaurant. Im friends with him. He knows pretty much everything that happens in the city and he will probably know if any pieces of silver turned up around the city." Lidia said as they moved up in line and came to the front of the register.

The young man ran his eyes over Lidia and grinned. No doubt having dirty thoughts.

"Hello and welcome to Jay's Poor Noodles. Free or all but the rich!" he said with enthusiasm.

Lidia just looked uninterested and put down a silver coin that she magically conjured from a hidden purse under her tattered cloak.

"Enough with the weird talk Jason. I know for a fact that you only work here so you can see me occasionally." Lidia said with mild amusement as Jason nodded his head and took the silver coin.

"True, but theres another reason. Jay told me that he will be passing the restaurant to me when he, you know." Jason said, nudging Lidia.

Lidia motioned to Hyde and the others. Jason waved to them and grinned.

"Jason meet Hyde, Lucia, Hitoshi, Tadaaki and Norman. Everyone, meet Jason Deno, the most annoying but cute, guy you will ever meet. Childhood friend and he has been working here since he was 5. Which was, 13 years ago?" Lidia asked him.

Jason nodded and there was an impatient cough from behind the group. Jason called to one of the serving boys and he came running up to take Jason's place. Jason led them to the booth where Jay was eating. Jay looked up at their arrival and Hyde noticed that his eyes were sharp for an old man.

"Ah! Lidia! It has truly been a long time. What brings you here with Jason once again? Are you two dating?" the old man asked in a wheezy voice.

Jason was about to say yes when Lidia slammed her foot on Jason's.

"Ah no. We just came for information. Mind if we join you?" Lidia asked Jay.

Jay laughed a hearty laugh and moved over in the booth.

"Join me! Noodles is for everyone!" he wheezed.

**Adrianople, The Fortress**

Recently, things had been going well for Otto and Bartholomew. They had recently learned that they were on the brink of war with a tribe in Asarabia and they were excited. But more importantly, Cyrus had called them to a meeting. A meeting of the family's men. They sat in front of their father, looking powerful and proud.

He might have spent at least a week mourning over the death of his mother but he looked fine now. He held the book Balviron in his hand and he was looking at a page in the book. After reading the pages in silence for a while, he put the book down and looked up at his sons. His calculating eyes went from Otto to Bartholomew. He was wearing a silver chest plate adorned with medals and he wore the simple black iron crown on his head. He was also holding the golden centerpiece in his right hand.

"Tell me boys. How close are we to finishing the puzzle? I hold the middle piece in my very hands and the enemy holds the lower half. Where is the upper half?" Cyrus asked his sons.

Otto spoke up. His recent conversation with the earth goddess had made him feel confident he could defeat anyone.

"I believe, the middle piece has been hidden. Perhaps if we had a map…" Otto said.

Cyrus grinned and handed the book to Otto and Bartholomew. The 2 princes looked at the book and slowly smiled as they saw the page their father had turned to. It was a map of the world and there was a silver light, shining right on Crocus.

…

Needless to say, Otto and Bartholomew got ready right away. They prepared troops and declared Crocus under martial law. Nobody could enter the city or leave without permission from a general. Troops poured into the city and they shut down district by district. Soldiers were told to keep an eye out for a "silver half plate". Otto and Bartholomew personally over saw the searches. Little did they know, the hate that they had created would soon burst into a full out war. The fight between magic and swords would begin soon.

**Jay's Poor Noodles**

They had ordered several bowels of noodles. There was a reason why hundreds of people crowded into the restaurant. The noodles were GOOD. Hyde had already eaten 2 bowels and everyone else was going for seconds as well. Meanwhile, Jay had told them what had happened so far. He told them that the mages all around Fiore were planning to take back the power and overthrow the Garlan Throne like Julius Silence did back in the old days. Hyde was skeptical of the planned revolt. With so many citizens living in Crocus, how would civilian casualties be limited? Lidia asked for details about the revolt and Jay happily told them. It consisted of several teams of mages combing through the city, eliminating the Garlan soldiers and overseers. After that was done, they would solidify a government with Allison Doma was the head. If everything went well, Crocus would be able to withstand a full on assault from Garlan troops.

"The revolt is said to take place whenever the Garlan throne crosses the line. All the guilds are on alert in case-"

Jay suddenly stopped talking and looked up slowly. A look of pure dread came over him and he whistled to Jason. He came running, a look of concern on his face.

"Hey whats up boss." Jason said as Jay pointed to a green door in the very back of the restaurant.

"Take our guests through the door. I see a bad future ahead for the civilians. I will lock down the store to protect the civilians. Go!" Jay said as he stood from the booth and ran through the crowd of people to shut the door of the restaurant and lock it.

Jason herded us all through towards the green door and everyone was starting to get nervous.

"H-hey! Whats going on!" demanded Lidia as Jason pulled open the green door and moved everyone insde.

Jason entered the room last and shut the door. He looked at the group, a serious look on his face.

"Jay knew this would happen eventually. Im supposed to guard you guys until this is over. So, follow me." Jason said as he led the group into a narrow alleyway.

Apparently the green door had led to a narrow alleyway because that was where they were going. Jason suddenly stopped and motioned for everyone to get down. Everyone followed his lead and crouched in the narrow alley. It was just in time for a patrol of Red Army soldiers go by. They were riding on top of one of those things the soldiers called "cars". Some strange contraption had been attached to the back of the hallowed out seating area for soldiers. One stood next to it now, his finger on the trigger.

The soldiers quickly passed and Jason led the group into the streets. They were eerily empty and the sounds of soldiers marching were heard elsewhere. Hyde looked around the seemingly abandoned city when he noticed a jewelry store not too far from where they had emerged from the alleyway. It was sort of hidden behind a few other pieces of jewelry but Hyde definitely saw the ornate markings on the sides. He pointed at the store.

"Guys! Look! The final piece!" he whispered excitedly to the group as they all turned to look at the jewelry store.

In minutes, they were all over the store. Thankfully, soldiers had busted in the door, looting it. The upper half lay in the store on a velvet cloth. Its shiny silver glistened as Hyde grabbed it and put it in his pack with the other half. Jason looked curiously as the silver disappeared into Hyde's pack.

"Uh, whats that?" he asked.

"Long story. Jason, how do we get out of the city?" Lidia asked him.

"I have a way. Its through the industrial district. Lets hurry." Jason said as everyone hurried from the store, hiding in the alleyways when soldiers walked by.

**Nox Assassins, in the industrial district**

Wulf led a team of assassins through the heavily industrialized area of the city. Heavy machines lay around the district and the assassins flitted through the ranks of oncoming soldiers without a trace. His job was to eliminate anyone who wished to finish the circle. He had recently learned that Sakren had kept the last piece hidden away because he was afraid if he let it go, someone would find it. And now after his death, it was Wulf's job to eliminate those who wished to use it.

They were passing under a street with several pulleys attached to the roof tops when Wulf saw movement in an alleyway.

"Movement in the alleyway. Wait for them to move out…" Wulf said to his team of assassins.

Pretty soon, Hyde and the others came from within the alley. Jason was leading them. Wulf suddenly got a strong gravitational pull towards Hyde and he nodded to his team.

"Its them. The one with the sword on his back as the pieces, 2 to be exact. Finish them!" Wulf said as all the assassins revealed themselves and ran towards the group.

Norman was the first to notice the group of black clothed assassins running towards them. Norman acted fast, manipulating the pulleys with his magic to tie all the assassins up in ropes.

"Go! I cant hold them long. They obviously want us dead!" Norman grunted as he struggled against the assassins.

Jason nodded and herded everyone towards the end of the street, Lidia and the others called out to him.

"Catch up to us!" they shouted to him.

"I will!" Norman shouted as he turned back to the assassins to see Wulf standing right in front of him.

It was a single second movement. Wulf raised his hand where a pistol had been attached to the underarm at Norman's head.

"No you wont." Wulf said as he fired the pistol.

Norman stiffened, blood splattering his sailor's uniform. He was dead before his knees touched the ground. Norman's body fell to the ground and his head splashed into a dirty puddle. Wulf whistled to the assassins who had freed themselves from the ropes. They ran after the group of fugitives and Norman's body lay there in the puddle.

**The office of Allison Doma**

The revolt was going moderately well. The martial law had been declared, the guilds had poured mages into the fight and it seemed to be going well. Allison sat in her office, watching the battle below. Fairy Tail had told her to stand back for she was the symbol of revolution. She was young, barely in her twenties with long blonde hair, thin body, green eyes and she had the same no nonsense personality as Guran Doma. Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Allison went to answer it. The door was opened and there stood Otto and Bartholomew. They smiled.

"Hello Allison. Mind if we come in?"

**Dew Town**

They had run. They had run and run. And finally, they arrived at Dew Town. They sat inside Portman's Bar and Grill that was the famous starting point of Julius's revolution. The grill was quite famous now and the Portman family had gotten rich over the years. The group sat at a back table, perhaps the very table where Julius had sat at more than 150 years ago. They were discussing their strategy for getting the final piece. They didn't know that Norman had died.

"We need to get into Adrianople for the final piece. We are so close!" Lucia said as everyone nodded.

Suddenly there was a commotion at the front and the group looked to see a man enter the bar. Everyone gasped as they saw him come into full view. It was General Ortega. His dark tan skin, his fancy mustache, his armor and medals. He came up to the table, serious face on, hand not on his sword for once.

"I have a deal to make with you."

**AAAANNNNNDDDDD….another cliffhanger. I hope you guys liked this chapter! Don't forget to review and happy Saternalia! FF**


	4. Only a god can tell

**Well I am back from New Orleans. It wasn't too much of a vacation because I was walking the whole time and there was just a lot of stress going on. But, I did manage to get some writing in. But those were for other stories. I intend to finish up my marching band story and start a new one on New Years Eve. Anyways, enjoy the chapter.**

**Adrianople, the Fortress**

While Crocus tore itself apart and unlikely alliances were made in Dew Town, the consuls and the king made plans for the upcoming war. A tribe in the Southern Continent had risen to challenge the empire and Cyrus deemed it necessary to exterminate every single one of the rebels. He stood in his private room, with the consuls. Ortega however, was missing, attending to a small uprising in Dew Town.

Cyrus and the consuls stood around the huge wooden table that stood next to the window in his room. It showed Asarabia, several white dots shifting places. Cyrus pointed to the port city of Balsia.

"Load up the Dark Water Fleet immediately with every soldier we have. Crack has told me that he has developed a mechanism that can end this war as quickly as possible." Cyrus said as he looked up at the 2 consuls that were with him.

Tate frowned. Her blonde hair out of place among brown haired individuals. She didn't believe this plan would be a good one.

"My lord, I do not think this will be a good idea. Every soldier? I believe the Blue Army will be enough to bring down this group of barbarians." Tate said as she looked into Cyrus's storm grey eyes.

'Just what is he planning? Every soldier? That's overkill!' she thought as Cyrus pointed to the capital of Asarabia, Tara.

"This is what I want. Give me Tara and I control all of the southern continent. I also intend to cleanse the entire continent of the native population. The Garlan Empire is too small for Seria and Fiore. Its time I expanded the empire like my father and my ancestors before me." Cyrus said firmly as he stepped back from the huge map and looked up at the huge painting that showed his proud father.

Livia and Tate were shocked. Cleanse the native population? That was genocide! It would take years to hunt down every single Asarabian and it would drain the treasury of every penny! Just what had gotten into Cyrus's mind! Livia decided to take a stand. She firmly planted her feet on the floor and glared at her father.

"I refuse to fight." She said firmly.

Cyrus turned from the painting and chuckled a little bit. This was not a good sign.

"Oh don't worry about that. Livia, you will stay here with Tate. I am sending someone else to fight. I knew both of you would refuse to kill innocent civilians." Cyrus said as he smiled.

Tate and Livia were shocked. He had predicted their moves! But how had he known exactly what would happen? Tate decided to bring up a more pressing issue.

"But what about Crocus? As we speak, a rebellion tears the city apart! Your own sons are fighting there!" Tate said, trying to reason.

Cyrus slammed his fist on the wooden table, making everyone jump. He looked angry as he looked up, a fierce glare on his face.

"Crocus is nothing! Little more than a slum for the natives of Fiore! My sons are taking care of the situation. Do you doubt their ability? Leave me at once. The die is cast!" Cyrus shouted at Tate and Livia.

The 2 consuls bowed, tight lipped and left Cyrus's chamber. Once the 2 consuls were gone, Cyrus turned to the table. The image had shifted and it showed the continent of Fiore. A huge red dot was appearing in Crocus. Cyrus's face twisted into a demonic smile.

"Crocus, you have avoided imperial wrath since Sara the Great. Now, you face the wrath of Cyrus the Ironfisted!"

**Office of Allison Doma**

A shot of flame smashed into her body, sending her crashing through her office window. Her senses were scrambled. They were fast! As she fell, she could see the flashes of light from the battle down below. A sense of pride gripped her and her body burst into flame into the form of a Phoenix. Her fellow mages were risking their lives! She must set an example! She blasted back up towards her office and landed, brilliant flame blowing off her body. Bartholomew was standing there, Otto nowhere to be found.

Allison glared at Bartholomew and concentrated her power. She was going to destroy this royal brat with a single attack! A move her father used to eat the power of the almighty Etherion! Rage filled her body as she spat at Bartholomew.

"Phoenix Slayer! Eternal Flame!" she screamed at Bartholomew as hundreds of flames rushed towards the smiling blonde haired man, burning everything in the office.

There was a solid hit and Bartholomew screamed as he smashed against a wall, the flames burning into him. He struggled to grab the flame in his hands. He was a dragon slayer and he could do this! With trembling hands he grabbed a single flicker of flame and slammed it into his mouth. He coughed and spit blood. Allison was upon him now, eyes blazing with dark heat. She grabbed Bartholomew's throat with such force Bartholomew gasped and tried to cry out.

"You will regret you were ever born. You will regret that you were ever the child of Cyrus the Ironfisted! Phoenix Slayer! Claw of the Phoenix!" she shouted as a huge claw made of flames grabbed Bartholomew's neck and threw him straight out of the broken window Bartholomew had just sent Allison flying from.

The wind screamed as Bartholomew fell from the high tower to the ground. He screamed as he grabbed the flaming claw and bit into it. The fire broke off and Bartholomew felt something enter his stomach. Warmth surrounded him and he started to feel stronger! Bartholomew let out a short laugh but stopped once he saw how close the ground was.

"Brother! Where are you!" Bartholomew screamed as the wind blasted through his hair.

Bartholomew saw a flash of green from a nearby battle and suddenly a huge pillar of stone burst from the ground towards Bartholomew. The pillar would have killed Bartholomew but the top of the pillar turned out to be made from soft mud. He splashed into the pillar and quickly stood, wiping the mud off of his armor. He grinned as he saw Otto emerge from the pillar, also grinning.

"Looks like we know what to do now. Devour everything. Nothing can stop us! Whether or not Crocus falls is up to us." Otto said as the pillar grew and grew until they were level with the window to Allison's office.

Bartholomew hopped off of the pillar and found Allison waiting for him, a fist full of flames. The fist swung and Bartholomew found himself chewing on the flames! Allison took a step back in surprise. Was he eating the flames? That could only mean!

"Y-you are the fire dragon slayer?" she shouted at him, surprised.

Bartholomew grinned and knew he had the advantage. He moved around Allison so that her back faced the broken window. The plan was perfect. Bartholomew nodded slightly and decided to finish this battle.

"Yep, but im also the Earth Dragon Slayer! Earth Dragon's Roar!" Bartholomew cackled as a hail of storms blasted straight from Bartholomew's mouth and slammed into Allison.

She was blasted back to the edge of the window but managed to catch herself. She grit her teeth and glared as Bartholomew smiled and started to walk towards her.

"You really think you can defeat a Phoenix?" she challenged as Bartholomew stopped and nodded.

"And do you think you can defeat a god?"

Allison gasped in surprise as stone cold hands grabbed her ankles. She looked down to see 2 hands made of stones grabbing her ankles. Slowly but surely, a wall of stone started to rise up behind her. 2 huge arms grabbed her and she felt herself merging with the stone wall! A man who looked slightly like Bartholomew only with brown hair emerged from the wall, grinning crazily. As Allison's body started to merge with the stone wall, Otto cocked his head to the side.

"Don't try to struggle. I don't want you to die tired. You are a Phoenix, my brother a dragon. I, am a GOD. Fear my godly powers and know that you are an insignificant worm in the workings of life. A Phoenix, no matter how strong can never defeat a God and a Dragon!" Otto shouted as Allison was completely merged with the wall with a final scream.

Otto kicked the stone wall out the window and it fell, a heavy slab of stone falling to the ground by the force of gravity where it smashed into several thousands of pieces. Bartholomew and Otto grinned victoriously and turned away from the broken window and the sounds of battle. Let Crocus fall, it would be more interesting….

**Portman's grill and bar**

A trap. That was the first thing that went through Hyde's mind. Everyone else must have been thinking the same thing as they all glared and started to reach for their weapons. Ortega saw this and held up his hand. A least 9 soldiers armed with rifles and autobows stormed into the restaurant. They stacked up, one row of 3 laying on the ground, the middle row of 3 crouching and the last row standing. Everyone put away their weapons. Even with magic, the numbers were too great and the civilian casualties would be high. Even now, screaming citizens ran from the restaurant. Ortega turned to Hyde.

"I swear on my honor that this is not a trap." He said calmly.

Nobody trusted him. Not even the king trusted him. But still, everyone was interested with this "deal" Ortega wanted to make.

"…what kind of deal are you trying to make…" Lidia said suspiciously.

Ortega smiled and everyone shuddered.

"Quite simple. I want to overthrow the king. One of you must have heard that the war in the south has effectively left Adrianople lightly guarded. I am letting you enter Adrianople and I will turn a blind eye." Ortega said to the group.

Unbelievable. Was this truth? Ortega wanted to overthrow the king. But why? His motives were unknown and he must have some plan in mind. Lidia spoke, trying to gauge Ortega's response.

"Fine, but what do YOU want. There must be some reason you wish to overthrow Cyrus." She said, their eyes meeting.

Ortega nodded. There was always a condition.

"What I want, is money. I care not for the crown, too much responsibility. There, I answered your question. Now, do you accept?" he asked, looking at everyone in the group.

Lidia stood and a plan was forming in her mind. Ortega had something in mind, but so did Lidia. She nodded.

"We accept."

**And there you go. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! FF**


	5. I found you

**There really is no need for an AN for this chapter. All that I ask is that you review. I am not in a good mood. Nothing else is needed besides that.**

_Our heroes were approached by General Ortega at Portman's Bar and Grill. At first our heroes were wary of the general's proposal but Ortega soon made his motives clear. He was after the money. Money alone, motivated this devious man, who planned to overthrow the Evadeus dynasty. Ortega said that he would turn a blind eye and order that the gates be opened "for a group of soldiers". Once inside, our heroes would have to battle their way to Cyrus. However, Ortega had a much different view on what needed to be done. However, they didn't know the dark forces at work as our group of heroes marched on The Fortress of Adrianople. _

**?**

"Why must you make me make this choice again!"

The voice filled with pain rang out in the darkness. Cold mist drifted from the cold stone floors and a spotlight illuminated a man that seemed to be made of black mist. He was wrapped with glowing chains that attached to the floor to stop him from moving. He seemed to be in a massive amount of pain. He struggled against the chains, screaming in agony.

A voice rang out from the darkness and the shadowy figure seemed to struggle even more.

"You, Skorm the Shadow Dragon, the writer of the 3 tomes and Bane of Delray, have been brought before the counsel to stand trial for your crimes. Evil, had sheltered you, hidden you from our view. But now it is time for you to pay for your crimes, with the choice."

Skorm growled and he struggled and howled.

"Hah! You goddesses, so high and mighty! You are the reason for this evil that stands before you. My loyalty extends to only 1 person…and that person is my sister. A champion of good! How then, have I done wrong by making a champion out of good by my own sacrifice? For it was my own will that I became the Shadow Dragon and the Bane of Delray. Evil never sheltered me. I was always on my own, working, planning and executing my own deeds." Skorm said, starting to laugh.

The voice continued, and as the voice did, Skorm howled even more and struggled even harder.

"Your crimes go back to Fairy Tail. If you say that you are innocent then I will give you the choice of redemption. You must choose, the lesser of the 2 evils presented before you. Choose wisely and you will be redeemed." The voice said as 2 women wearing white robes came from the darkness, holding several items.

One was a flag, the once proud red background blackened with fire, another was a sword, rusted and broken and the last item was a crown, perhaps once a shining golden color but now dull and black.

"Truth and Deception are often confused. You aim for the truth but we only see deception. Choose the lesser of the 2 evils. The blackened crown, or the rusted blade and disgraced flag. You know what these items represent. Now choose."

**The Fortress of Adrianople**

A few soldiers stood on top of the high gates, patrolling. It was a particularly cold day and the soldier's breaths turned to steam as they breathed in and out. They were soldiers of the White Army. The recent war with the Southern Continent had sent the entire Red and Blue Army oversees. The Black Army was largely depleted due to many being sent over with the generals that ran the war in the south. What little soldiers that remained were guards to Cyrus. Suddenly one of the soldiers spotted a group of soldiers that was marching towards the gates.

"Huh? A group of soldiers? Were they on the schedule?" the novice soldier asked his partner as his partner shrugged.

The White Army soldiers checked the reports that listed every patrol that would be entering and exiting the city and they did not find the group that was approaching. For one, they did not wear the uniforms of the Garlan Army. They wore civilian dress and they seemed to be carrying weapons. Yet, there were only 6 of them. Too small to be an invasion force. The soldier activated the intercom and spoke into it, demanding they reveal their identities.

Little did the 2 soldiers know, the group of 6 were actually enemies and they were secretly aided by Ortega's staff officers. Hyde and the others remembered their entrance to the fortress a few weeks back when they had snuck in, disguised as Red Army soldiers. But Jason still had his doubts.

"There is no way they are going to let us in…" Jason mumbled.

"Calm yourself Jason…Ortega wouldn't lead us into a trap if he didn't know all of our tricks…" Lidia said quietly.

Meanwhile, the soldiers on the walls received a visit from Captain Welkin, one of Ortega's staff officers. He was carrying a go ahead signal and he looked over the wall to check if the group of 6 were indeed the ones who would be overthrowing Cyrus.

"Let them in. Ortega has approved this." Welkin said as the 2 recruits saluted and Welkin walked away, smiling and hearing the gates creak open.

The group of heroes entered the fortress quietly and were walking through the huge courtyard, strangely empty of drilling soldiers. They would have gotten straight into the palace hadn't it been for the familiar commanding voice that told them to stop.

**Bartholomew, a few minutes before**

Bartholomew had been enjoying his night. After he had become a dragon slayer, he found life much more enjoyable. He was standing on top of one of the guardhouses, enjoying the cold air when suddenly, he caught sight of a group of soldiers marching their way towards the fortress gates. He frowned and he tried to recall if any soldiers were supposed to be making their way back from patrols at this time.

"Great, now my day is ruined…" Bartholomew said sadly as he jumped off the roof, seemingly falling to his death but the ground beneath him seemed to rise up and allow him to steadily walk towards the ramparts that lined the fortress courtyard.

The gates had creaked open and Bartholomew watched patiently as the group of "soldiers" made their way into the fortress. His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of Lidia…Otto would want to be informed of her appearance. Otto had strangely taken a liking to the strange girl that seemed to be close to the mercenary known as "Hyde". He smiled widely as he watched the Ryuusaga twins come into his dragon eye's view. Someone new seemed to have joined the group with the absence of the strange sailor man who nodded often. He seemed to be nervous and was walking next to the Tsubasa girl.

"Oh the trouble I could make." Bartholomew smiled.

He cleared his throat. He would love the look on the faces of those fools.

"Stop right there! Lidia James!" he shouted.

**Hyde**

Lidia screeched to a halt and shuddered as the entire group turned to face the cocky blonde haired general.

"We are so screwed." Jason said nervously.

"Damn it! I didn't think the blonde haired idiot would be out here!" Hyde muttered.

Bartholomew jumped from the ramparts and seemed to be falling down but the wall seemed to _move, _forming a slope so that Bartholomew gracefully slid down and ended right in front of the group. He raised one eyebrow and scratched his head, his tracer glinting in the moonlight. Then he smiled slowly.

"So, what is a group of revolutionaries doing out here? Oh and don't try to deny it. I want to make myself clear. Hand over the pieces to the Circle and I might just let you live." Bartholomew said threateningly.

Hyde and the others looked at each other, seemingly communicating with each other. The look in Lucia and Tadaaki's eyes made it clear that they wanted the rest of them to go on. Lucia and Tadaaki came to face Bartholomew. Hyde and the others cautiously made their way around Bartholomew. Bartholomew did not even glance at the group as they advanced farther into the fortress. He seemed to be sizing up Tadaaki and Lucia.

"So, you 2 weaklings will be the ones fighting me? Very well. A warning to both of you. If you lose, I will make sure you die the most painful death." Bartholomew said confidently as one arm burst into flame and the other gathered rocks around it.

Lucia wordlessly summoned Paul and Tadaaki grit his teeth and light formed around him. It was time to finish Bartholomew.

"Lets do this! For Fiore!" Lucia shouted as Paul charged forward at Bartholomew.

"For Fiore and the peace of the world! I wont forgive you!" Tadaaki screamed as light shot towards Bartholomew.

The 3 mages clashed and thunder rumbled.

**My bad mood went away, yay. I hope you guys liked that. And to my viewers, make sure to review. I saw that not a lot of people are reviewing so I just wanted to remind you guys to do so. And I understand that you guys are really busy with exams coming up for some and other things but reviews really inspire me to write more. **

**ALSO: don't forget to check out my new story, A hungry Empire for Valkyria Chronicles. I think it goes well with this story. If you don't know what Valkyria Chronicles is, check it out on youtube or the internet. Very gripping story.**

**That's enough shameless advertisement. Don't forget to review and check out the story! Happy exam month! FF**


	6. Alone in the fortress

**So this was supposed to be out yesterday but I decided to just watch Valkyria Chronicles. **

**As you must all know, it is exam week here in Ohio. And I have 7 exams to get through although I finished 2 today so that's 5 left. But this is honestly the only chapter im going to put up the entire week besides Friday because I don't have school that day and it is my birthday. **

**Enjoy.**

**Cyrus**

"To wield power as the most powerful person on earth…is a cruse more than it is a blessing. These are your words Archibald." Cyrus murmured as he stared up at the huge painting of the first queen's consort.

Cyrus was alone, standing in the king's quarter. Several huge painting of the past queens and kings hung in the halls and Cyrus had found himself staring at the picture of Archibald, the consort of Sara the Great. He usually went through the fortress halls at night alone and today was no exception. The war on the Southern Continent was drawing to a close, the Garlan army completely destroyed the enemy's poorly equipped and trained army. He had sent Crack to command his troops and test his machinegun and it seemed that it worked.

But his true worry was the group of revolutionaries that had infiltrated the fortress. He was worried that he would have the same fate as Serex Yosser over 150 years ago. Cyrus drew his sword and swung it through the empty cold air. The black curved blade almost glittered in the torchlight and Cyrus smiled to himself. He hadn't failed over his reign. There were some bumps and little problems but he didn't fail. He had maintained order within the empire and he had earned his place in history.

"My sisters would have surely failed…surely they would have failed…so I helped them escape their burdens…" Cyrus murmured to himself as he passed a window, casting dark shadows in the stone halls.

Cyrus continued to walk, talking to himself and he eventually found himself in the throne room. He slowly took his seat on the throne and looked down the hall at the huge wooden doors. The person who was challenging his reign would come…and Cyrus would be glad to meet him.

**Otto**

Otto was standing within the fortress, right in the path of Hyde and the others. But Otto was not someone to take on several enemies at once. No, he was going to make it interesting. He started to concentrate his power towards the ground and he called upon his power as the Earth God Slayer.

"Terra! Help me!" Otto said to himself as the ground began to shift.

The power of the god slayer shifted several tons of stone, centuries of design and heritage as the old council building was part of the fortress. Otto manipulated the stone so that the corridors that led to him were split in 3. Each corridor would lead to a new possibility, perhaps even a dead end. Otto finished his work and sighed. He could already hear the group of revolutionaries running down the halls.

"It is I who will be the next king. Not anyone else! I will fight to keep my right to the throne!" Otto growled angrily.

Victory would be sweet indeed.

**Told you this was going to be short. Anyways, after exams are over I will be doing more work on stories and such. Thanks, FF**


	7. Slaying the slayer

**I finished exams yesterday and I had this chapter finished yesterday but for some reason the internet went out and I couldn't post it. Well, its Friday 13, my birthday. Im just glad I am done with exams. I actually did very well on my exams. **

**So, now that im done with exams…what now? All that happens now is that I wait for the results to come out (2 of them already have) and everything will be going back to normal next week. That means the update schedule will be back to normal as well.**

**So in this chapter, we have the long awaited battle between Lucia, Tadaaki and Bartholomew. There will be something awesome at the end of this chapter.**

**Enjoy.**

**The Fortress courtyard**

Bartholomew stood, facing the 2 challengers like a stone statue, his face devoid of emotion. Bartholomew had gotten used to the incredible sense of smell he now had and he quickly looked over the battlefield conditions and how he was going to be defeating the 2 revolutionaries. Lucia and Tadaaki seemed to stand still, planning the fight out. They didn't know anything about Bartholomew's strength and they couldn't risk rushing in.

Bartholomew found this funny and he slowly smiled, realizing that they didn't know anything about his transformation to a dragonslayer. His voice filled with arrogance, he spoke to the 2.

"You really don't know my power? I am a dragon slayer you fools. Yes, a dragonslayer like you, Ryuusaga brat." Bartholomew said, his voice proud and arrogant.

Tadaaki seemed shocked. Bartholomew, a dragonslayer? When had he shown properties of being even slightly magical? Perhaps when… Tadaaki took a step forward, his eyes showing fear.

"You! It was you how forced us to fall into that pit in the woods!" he said, starting to realize just how powerful the enemy really was.

Lucia remembered back to when they had met Norman. They had fallen down a hill, yes! So it was Bartholomew's doing! Bartholomew however seemed confused.

"Falling into a hole? I didn't do anything like that. What use would that be to me? Perhaps it was Otto who was merely testing his power." Bartholomew mused.

Tadaaki and Lucia were starting to feel anxious as Bartholomew took a casual stance and readied his arms. The air hung heavy between the 3 mages and Tadaaki was the first to strike. He ran forward, ignoring Lucia's shout of frustration and he slammed his fist into Bartholomew's face, sending the prince skidding back, but barely hurt. Bartholomew laughed it off.

"A single punch? That's it? You are no dragonslayer Tadaaki Ryuusaga. This is a true dragonslayer! Fire Dragon's Blazing Inferno!" Bartholomew shouted as his arm burst into flame and he moved with incredible speed, smashing Tadaaki several times and then slamming him against the side of the courtyard walls.

Bartholomew's body started to slowly become consumed with flames as he stepped back to avoid Tadaaki's fist. Bartholomew smiled. Tadaaki was holding back. He desperately wanted to unleash his power but Bartholomew's talk of a true dragonslayer had reduced his confidence. Bartholomew had a way with words.

Lucia was already on the move, grabbing Paul's amulet and calling him forward, the huge knight ready to fight against the enemy dragonslayer. However Lucia had her own fears. Bartholomew had shown powers as a fire dragonslayer! But that was impossible! Natsu was the fire dragonslayer! She had to force the fears out of her mind as she sent Paul to hopefully split Bartholomew in half with his huge sword. The great knight swung his sword, smashing downwards towards Bartholomew's head as he fought Tadaaki.

To their surprise, Bartholomew blocked it, with his arm. Tadaaki gasped and he noticed that Bartholomew's arm had become encased in stone and Bartholomew soon smashed the sword away and swung his arm at Paul, hitting his shield. Tadaaki acted fast and he knew that this sort of opportunity would not come again. He built up his confidence, concentrating on Bartholomew as he started to feel his power rise. Finally, he knew he had a good shot.

"Light Dragon's Blinding Light!" Tadaaki shouted as piercing white light shot through Bartholomew's chest and Bartholomew staggered back, clutching his chest.

"Now Paul! Finish him!" Lucia shouted as Paul swung the sword once more towards Bartholomew who was grabbing his chest.

The sword seemed to cut straight through Bartholomew and Lucia and Tadaaki let out a shout of joy. Bartholomew had been defeated! However their joy was short lived as Bartholomew's body started to burn away, leaving a single stone left behind. Suddenly Lucia felt a hand grab her from behind and she let out a scream. Someone was grabbing her! She twisted around to see Bartholomew rising from the ground, his entire body encased in stone and flame surrounding it.

"You must be surprised. How could I hold the powers of a dragon that already has an apprentice? That question will be answered after I kill both of you!" Bartholomew screamed as he twisted Lucia's arm back and she let out a shout of pain as Bartholomew kicked her in the back and let her fall to the ground.

Paul swung his sword to protect Lucia but Bartholomew easily grabbed it. Bartholomew's face twisted into a face of pure delight as flame surrounded the sword and it started to melt. Paul tried to twist the sword away but it was held in Bartholomew's iron grip.

"Don't think you can get away that easily tin man! I know your tricks!" Bartholomew shouted as a blast of light hit Bartholomew and he flipped to land on the ground, barely harmed.

Tadaaki helped Lucia stand and the 2 mages both glared at the blonde prince that stood so arrogantly at the center of the stone courtyard. Paul had his shield out and his sword was still useable although damaged. Tadaaki was burning with anger as he shouted at Bartholomew.

"How do you have such legendary power! Tell me! Natsu is the apprentice of Igneel, yet you hold his power!" Tadaaki shouted at him.

Bartholomew laughed as he answered Tadaaki. Lucia was starting to recover from her injury and Tadaaki made sure he wouldn't be affected by Bartholomew's words.

"Its quite simple really. I was given a dragon lacrima by the witchdoctor. Apparently it is a crystal that came from the dragon known as Vulcanus. I did some research and I soon learned that Vulcanus is a hybrid dragon, the son of Gaia the earth dragon and Igneel, the fire dragon. So you see, I hold both powers!" Bartholomew explained.

Bartholomew's words only confirmed the fears of Lucia and Tadaaki. It was obvious that Bartholomew held control over both powers and possibly could combine them together if necessary. But something else was troubling Lucia. During her time at Adrian's bookstore, she had a read book on a man known as "The Witchdoctor". Could it be the same man? Lucia decided to find out.

"This Witchdoctor, did he have a name?" Lucia asked him, her face showing no emotion.

Bartholomew looked at her with surprise. What did the name of the doctor have to do with this?

"I believe his name was Vi'Nay*. Something like that. But just what does this have to do with our little fight here!" Bartholomew demanded, starting to get angry.

Tadaaki looked at Lucia. Why had she asked that question? Why was the name Vi'Nay so important to her? But Tadaaki didn't ask her about it. The only thing that mattered now was the fact that they defeated Bartholomew here and now. Bartholomew started to get impatient and decided to destroy the 2 mages right where they stood. Doing a powerful move would be risky but Bartholomew was more than confident he could pull it off.

"I believe our time has come to an end. I have to thank you both for a good fight but I believe that this is the end for you both. Don't worry about your friends. My brother is more than capable. Now, lets do this shall we? DUAL DRAGON FORCE."

Tadaaki and Lucia were blown away by the massive amount of power Bartholomew was letting out. Paul barely managed to stand as the entire courtyard filled with Bartholomew's power. When and Lucia and Tadaaki could see better, they saw that Bartholomew's body was covered in a mismatched pattern of red and brown dragon scales. Tadaaki grit his teeth and he decided to challenge Bartholomew in his own dragon force. But that could waste a large amount of magical energy and Tadaaki had never tried it before…

"DRAGON FORCE!" Tadaaki shouted as he embraced his dragon's power.

Lucia felt Tadaaki become stronger as his skin started to look like a dragon's and the 2 dragonslayers stood across from each other. Lucia quickly called Paul back and decided to bring out her final card. She quickly grabbed an amulet that no one had seen her use before and she lifted the eye patch from her eye, letting her magical power roam free. She held up the amulet that had embodied the soul of the Tsubasa family for generations.

"To me! Tsubasa the Crimson!"

**Outside the fortress**

The war had been won. The Southern Continent had been tamed and the victorious soldiers were coming home in the now standard issue trucks. Crack rode at the head, the head general of the war. He sat in back of his own personal truck and he wondered what was happening back at Arcana. Rumors had said that even with the death of Allison Weserly, the resistance was fierce in the town of Crocus. People had even suggested that the rebels had already won. Crack would have to see for himself when he arrived at the gates of the fortress.

Even if the rebels had won, the rebellion would be easily put down. Crack led nearly the entire army behind him and they numbered several million soldiers. Very few soldiers had died in the Desert War, the warlord's soldiers being poorly armed with spears and hide shields. Crack suddenly stood up and looked towards the fortress. It seemed normal as usual and Crack didn't see anything wrong.

The huge army continued on when they reached the gates of the city. Soldier quickly opened the gates and let the army in. As they drove inside, Crack couldn't help but feel uneasy. Nothing moved in the city that had once been filled with tents and campfires. Even the mansions of the generals seemed dreary and grey. They soon arrived at the gates of the fortress and they started to swing open.

**Courtyard**

The battle raged between the 3 mages as flesh hit flesh and steel met steel. Bartholomew proved to be an expert at using his Tracer along with his newfound dragon powers as he easily stood up against 2 strong opponents.

"Light Dragon's Eternal Light!" Tadaaki shouted as a huge ball of light grew in his hands and continued to grow.

The ball of light was sent spinning towards Bartholomew and it hit the young prince, sending him flying back into the courtyard walls. Bartholomew slowly peeled himself off of the wall, grinning crazily.

"Impressive. So you are capable of using the dragon force as well. I suspected that you were a 3rd generation dragon slayer**. No matter, the power of Vulcanus flows through me, giving me all the power I need to crush both of you!" Bartholomew said confidently as a huge sword made of stone materialized in his hand and a ball of white flame surrounding his other hand.

He charged towards Tsubasa the Crimson and the 2 clashed, the sword of Tsubasa struggling against the stone sword Bartholomew had created. Lucia was using her full magical power to try to look for any weak points but she could find any. Someone was keeping the weak point hidden! Tadaaki took advantage of Bartholomew's attention on Lucia slam a glowing fist into Bartholomew's back, creating a horrid cracking sound as Bartholomew screamed and twisted away.

Tadaaki stood next to Lucia, the 2 of them brutally injured by Bartholomew's first attacks. Bartholomew slowly stood, stone crumbling off of him and growling like a wild animal. Blood could be seen staining Bartholomew's blond hair and running down his Tracer as he raised it.

"I am an expert at close combat! Don't you forget that!" Bartholomew shouted as the metal cables burst forward and burst through Tsubasa the Crimsons' armor.

The hooks attached to the metal cables broke through the red armor and attached themselves firmly and Bartholomew created a sword from the stone around him and started to winch the Grand Titan closer and closer. Lucia couldn't move very fast due to the incredible amount of magical power that she was using trying to find Bartholomew's weakness but Tadaaki knew what he had to do.

"Light Dragon's Heavenly Roar!" he shouted, ignoring the incredible pain that was going through his body as the blast of light shot from his mouth towards Bartholomew.

Bartholomew took the blast full on and he skidded back, gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain in his chest. He tugged straight through the metal wires and the Grand Titan dragged forward and Bartholomew went running, sword in hand.

With a single sweeping motion he stabbed the sword straight through the Grand Titan's chest, kicking Tsubasa the Crimson away as the titan fell to the ground and struggled to get up. He whipped around to deal a devastating punch to Tadaaki's face, the flames burning around Bartholomew's fist. He added a kick in and Tadaaki flew back and skidded across the ground, the dust cloud gathering around him. Bartholomew wiped the blood from his mouth and he grinned.

"This is all you have? Fine, let me show you something interesting. Something that I learned through being a true dragon slayer! Open! The Dragon's Eye!" Bartholomew shouted as his left eye started to glow and the dragon crystal started to float from his eye socket and eventually started to float in front of Bartholomew.

The crystal started to vibrate violently and suddenly it started to unfold, the folds seemingly endless, it soon took the form of a dragon. It roared darkly and the castle walls shook as window shattered and the ground shook whenever it took a step. The scales were light drown, orange even. But the dragon's eyes were missing, instead they were white and blank and Tadaaki took a step back.

"W-what in the world? But how! A dragon has appeared before us!" Tadaaki shouted as Bartholomew grinned.

"Not quite but you get the idea. A part of Vulcanus was trapped within the crystal and it has come to life to serve me. Now die!" Bartholomew snarled as a small fragment of the crystal floated back into the air and levitated above the ground.

Lucia gasped when she saw the small crystal float back with her magical eye. That was Bartholomew's weak spot! Vulcanus must have been protecting the eye! She turned to Tadaaki and quickly told him to strike the eye. Tsubasa the Crimson seemed to have recovered from Bartholomew's attack and he was getting back up.

"Alright, I accept your challenge! FIGHT TO THE DEATH!" Tadaaki shouted as he charged the dragon, his fists glowing.

Tsubasa the Crimson moved forward and slashed the dragon with the sword it was carrying and the dragon snapped at him and shot boulders from its mouth as it screamed and slashed its claws. Tadaaki had gone around behind and was about to fire a shot at the small crystal fragment when suddenly he was sent spinning and pain burst from his chest. Bartholomew!

Tadaaki fell to the ground and saw the small, floating crystal, shifting colors occasionally and Tadaaki knew it was now or never. He saw Bartholomew's armored boots start to come down on his head and time seemed to slow down. Lucia 's vision went fuzzy as her magical energy started to disappear and Tsubasa the Crimson seemed to be losing against Vulcanus.

"Light Dragon's….Light Ray." Tadaaki whispered quietly as he quickly rolled away just in time to avoid his head being smashed.

The small of ray burst from Tadaaki's mouth and it pierced the small floating crystal and the dragon started to fade, the slamming itself back into Bartholomew eye, causing him to scream in pain and fly back and slump against the wall, blood dripping from his left eye. Lucia fell to the ground, unable to fight any longer. Tadaaki lay on the ground, slowly smiling. None of the mages noticed the huge army of soldiers storm the courtyard. Soldiers in black armor surrounded the sleeping prince and Lucia and Tadaaki felt hands grab them and shove them against the wall of the courtyard, guns and autobows ready to execute the 2 mages. Then their weary eyes saw a man wearing a white lab coat with the out of place visor hat on his head. Several medals were pinned on his pristine white lab coat and several soldiers ran in front of him and set up what appeared to be a long metal barrel with a copper sheet wrapped around it and several bullets loaded into belts. The man in the lab coat took off his hat and looked at the 2 weary mages that had already accepted their fate.

"Fire sir?" asked one of the soldiers.

"…It has been a long war Klopp. I am tired of seeing blood."

**Within the fortress**

The remaining group of heroes ran through the long halls of the fortress, knowing time was short. They were running through the large stone halls when they suddenly came to a 3 way path. Hyde looked at each path and they all seemed to be identical.

"3 paths…damn." He said.

Hitoshi and Jason looked at Hyde and they pointed to the path on the left.

"If it is alright with you Hyde, I think we should split up. Me and Jason will go the left path." Hitoshi said as Jason followed him and Hyde nodded.

Lidia looked at the path in the very center. She looked at Hyde and smiled and Hyde felt his slight worry go down.

"Well, this is it. Im glad I met you Hyde and you have been the best bodyguard anyone could have asked for. Should I live through this, I may require your services again. Good bye." Lidia said calmly as she smiled and headed down the center path.

Hyde nodded, feeling lonely as the group split up. He sighed and remembered when he was just a mercenary soldier running from Garlan scouts. He finally built up his confidence and he ran down the left path.

"Cyrus! I am coming for you!"

**The center path**

Lidia had a very short walk. The path was not very long and she soon found herself in a large cathedral like room with several altars and another opening at the other side. To her surprise, a woman came through the other door. She looked remarkably like Lidia and she carried a sword with her and wore heavy armor.

"Oh, why hello there." Lidia said to the woman.

The other woman smiled and greeted Lidia.

"Lidia! How good it is to see you again. I remember when we were forced to split! How have you been?" Livia asked Lidia as the 2 young women hugged each other.

Lidia smiled.

"Its good to be back sister."

***Vi'Nay is a reference to Hudson Story and Hyde Story, its not Viannay from The Last Nightmare Mage.**

**** I consider Tadaaki a 3****rd**** generation dragon slayer because he inherited his magic and Hikari learned his magic from the dragon lacrima itself and then it implanted its magic into him.**

**Well, im off to celebrate my birthday. Exams finished! Yeah! Hope you enjoyed the fight! FF**


	8. The Shadow Lord

**And here we have the next chapter! This will be the third to last chapter in this story and I already have the next story planned out. It will be called "Of body and Mind". When you read it you while realize why I named the story that. Nothing really going on this week besides posts for Circle of War, posting will be normalized on Monday.**

**And I don't have to go to school on Monday AND Tuesday **

**So, here we go.**

The 2 young women pulled away from each other and Livia smiled at Lidia. The hall was brightly lit and the light was soft against them, the armor Livia wore reflecting it so that it seemed to shine. Lidia seemed out of place in the great hall, her old brown cloak muddy and worn.

"It must have been such a burden. Keeping me alive, while fooling father." Livia said as Lidia nodded.

"Yes, it must have also been a pain to watch me as I did the good deeds while you were stuck in the court, wearing the armor of the Commondorus Supremus. But it is ok now." Lidia said as Livia nodded and revealed the black book that seemed to be made of stamped metal that was hidden under her cloak.

Lidia looked at the book and realized that it was Balviron, one of the legendary 3 tomes that one of the Nightmare Mages had created. She looked at the book with distaste.

"Balviron. You kept it this whole time? Trying to learn how to destroy it?" Lidia asked her sister.

Livia nodded and opened the book. It flipped to a page that had scribbled writing, the pages were damp and the words seem to twist and turn as Lidia inspected the words.

"The confessions of a tormented soul…we must hurry. The book is growing stronger by the second! We must hurry to the shrine of Julius!" Lidia shouted.

"Indeed my sister," Livia nodded. "However, we must join together now. You must use great power to destroy this book and with me here, your power is limited."

"Then so be it. Good bye, Livia." Lidia said as the 2 sisters shook each other's hand and Livia seemed to become transparent and slid into Lidia's body.

Lidia opened her eyes slowly, her gaze fierce as she tucked Balviron away. She ran through the exit of the hall towards the old shrine of Julius that had lain long forgotten.

**The left path**

The path on the left had turned out to be very long. The smooth stone walls seemed to go forever and Hitoshi and Jason were starting to wonder if they were heading towards a dead end.

"Dang hallway goes forever!" Jason said as he looked up at the ceiling, looking at the elaborate scenes painted on the ceiling.

"Yeah, will we ever get to the end…" Hitoshi agreed, starting to feel worried for his brother.

Suddenly Jason pointed down the hall and he smiled. A wooden door stood at the end of the hallway and Hitoshi started to smile as well. They had found the end! Jason ran up to the door and gripped the handle. He looked at Hitoshi.

"Well, here goes nothing…" Jason said as he pulled the door open.

**The Shrine of Julius**

Lidia ran as fast as she could, ignoring the blaring alarms as hordes of soldiers ran through the fortress. She knew then old path well, having secretly gone to the shrine many times. She turned the familiar stone corner and she finally came to the simple stone door that had the small iron handle that led into the dark and dusty shrine. She pulled the stone door open, wincing as the stone door grated against the ground and quickly shut it.

Once inside, she turned to see the life size statue of the legendary hero Julius Silence, standing before her, staring back at her. The statue was the only visual representation of Julius Silence after the great fire of Arcana destroyed all portraits and busts of Julius. The chamber was nearly pitch dark besides the small hole above Julius's head that let a little bit of light into the stone chamber.

Lidia snapped her fingers and the ancient torches that hung on the walls sparked to life. The chamber flooded with light and Lidia placed the evil book at Julius' feet.

"Julius Silence, patron saint of the goodness in people's hearts please-"

_Click_

"That's quite enough."

Lidia turned slowly around to see Tate standing behind her, pistol in hand. Her usual smile was a glare and she seemed to be anxious. Her long blonde hair draped over her armor and she had her right hand on the hilt of her sword. Lidia frowned and looked at Tate. Tate glared back at her.

"I suggest you come quietly unless you want to get blood all over this shrine." She said as Lidia had a grim look on her face.

"How did you know I was here…" Lidia asked.

Tate smiled a bit at that.

"I was secretly following you. When my soldiers ran past you, I noticed you running off towards a corridor. I decided to follow you and looks like I was right to do so." Tate explained.

Lidia was thinking fast, could she just split herself again? Or should Lidia just tell Tate who she was? Both were risky as Tate may not believe either. She had to make a decision and she made it, hoping for the best.

"Tate, I am Lidia Evadeus. Daughter of the King of the Garlan Empire and the granddaughter of the Emperor, Adrian Evadeus." Lidia said, hoping Tate would believe her.

Tate narrowed her eyes and Lidia felt a shudder go through her. Tate's sharp blue eyes were scary looking. Tate stood there for a while, thinking. She didn't know whether to believe her or not. Lidia definitely looked like the King's daughter, but then again, many girls in the empire looked like her.

"I don't believe you…" Tate said as her finger started to pull the trigger back.

"_**You might as well believe her. You really don't have a choice, Tate Hohenheim."**_

The growling choice scared Tate as she jumped and aimed the pistol at the dark shadow emerging from the book that lay at the statue's feet. Tate shot at the shadow as it glided across the dusty stone floor and reached out to grab the pistol and the firearm slowly merged with the dark shadowy mist that seemed to act as the body for 2 glowing red eyes. Tate drew her sword but it was quickly swallowed up by the black mist.

"Foolish mortal! How dare you draw your sword to me! Skorm, the shadow dragon! Your earthly weapons will have no affect against me!" Skorm said darkly as Tate took a step back, shaking.

"Y-you! The Shadow Lord! The leader of the Dark Trinity!" Tate screamed as Skorm went straight up to Tate and grabbed her throat, the glowing red eyes narrowing into little slits and slamming her against the stone door.

"What…afraid of the dark?" Skorm asked menacingly as Tate started to go white.

Lidia stood frozen in her place, unable to say anything. Skorm, the Shadow Lord had risen! Lidia shook in fear. Then suddenly she let out a scream that she couldn't control and Skorm looked back at Lidia and dropped Tate on the ground and he stood in front of Lidia. The red slits looked down at her and Lidia could hear the screams of several others that seemed to come from the Shadow Lord's body as he lifted Lidia up, but gently.

"Hahaha, just having a bit of fun. So, Lidia Evadeus, you have summoned me. Why." Skorm asked as he stood in front of the statue of Julius.

Tate started to stand up, color returning to her face but she grabbed her throat like she had recently choked. Lidia answered in a small voice, afraid to say anything. This was a dangerous game she was playing.

"I…I didn't summon you my l-lord…I was asking for J-Julius sir." Lidia said quietly.

Skorm scowled and his shadow merged with the wall, a spot of blackness with 2 glowing red eyes watching the 2 young women.

"But was it not Balviron you placed at the shrine? In effect, you called ME, rather than Julius. But, very well, lets hear WHY you wanted to summon Julius." Skorm said as he traveled around the chamber, zipping across the ceiling, the floor and even across Tate's body, making her cry out in fear.

Lidia cringed as the Shadow Lord formed on top of her and shuddered violently as Skorm's misty body went through Lidia's body.

"I, I wanted to destroy the book…" Lidia answered quietly.

Skorm let out a dark laugh and picked up the book. He turned to look at Lidia.

"Destroy the book? Very well, I can do that for you."

**The left path**

"Oh well this is a surprise. I wasn't expecting you two to come down this way…" Otto said as he scratched his head.

Jason and Hitoshi stood in front of the crown prince, also surprised to see him. Otto smiled a bit and he spread out his arms.

"Well, it's too bad I couldn't catch my prey. But good thing you two came at all for I was getting bored. Now, lets see who can survive this little fight. GOD SLAYER!"

**Yes, I know, this chapter focused on Lidia/Livia too much and really had a lot of creepy moments due to Skorm. I actually like Skorm a lot and his character is my second favorite besides Malice. The battle between Otto, Hitoshi and Jason is next post! Also, you will meet an interesting character next chapter! The Blood Saint!**

**Hope you enjoyed this! FF**


	9. Gods and swords with a cup of tea

**And hello, it is Monday. That means that the schedule has been put into effect once again. I will most likely finish the story today. I have also been imagining some things for an original story. Would you support that? **

**Anyways, here is the second to last post. Otto vs Jason and Hitoshi **

**Enjoy.**

**The Left Path**

The room began to shake and Jason and Hitoshi looked down to see that the ground was starting to warp and several hands seemed to be coming from the ground! They avoided the slow moving hands while Otto stood in the center of the room, looking amused.

"Do neither of you use magic? I at least thought the Ryuusaga child would be able to use _some _degree of magic. Seems like I was wrong. Oh well, I think I will kill you like I killed Allison Doma." Otto said happily as he started to walk towards Hitoshi, smiling darkly.

Hitoshi was busy dodging the hands and he didn't notice Otto come up and deliver a swift kick to Hitoshi's ribs and he flew back, slamming against the side of the room. The hands started to disappear and Jason leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. Hitoshi started to get back up, drawing the curved sword he had carried since the first fortress infiltration. Hitoshi had a glare on his face as he swung the sword at Otto.

"You will never be able to leave here! I swear on my life that you will die here!" Hitoshi shouted as he charged at Otto, sword flashing.

Otto dodged the first swing, watching as the blade swung by, cutting air. Otto drew his own sword but didn't swing back as he dodged every hit. Hitoshi increased his speed but Otto still dodged easily. Jason watched in awe as he watched Hitoshi and Otto duel. They were both obviously skilled swordsman but it seemed that Otto had the advantage, dodging every swing like he knew it was coming. Finally, Hitoshi swung the sword it cut a small wound in Otto's shoulder.

Small splotches of blood appeared on Otto's clothes and Otto looked down and frowned.

'Perhaps it was a mistake not wear armor…' Otto thought as he looked up at Hitoshi.

"First blood to you, Ryuusaga." Otto said calmly as he looked over at Jason.

Jason held Otto's gaze, trying not to be intimidated by him. But Jason could feel excitement and fear going through him. He had never been put in a situation like this before. Jason was nervous and he was in a cold sweat. Otto looked back at Hitoshi.

"I trust that this battle will be more than sword play? I have won countless duels and I will most likely win this one." Otto said as he pulled his sword back up and faced Hitoshi.

Hitoshi slowly grinned and he held up his own sword. The 2 stood there, swords pointed at each other, 2 swordsmen standing there in a stone chamber. Otto was the first to strike. He swung the sword towards Hitoshi's chest and Hitoshi expertly deflected it and cut Otto's arm as he went past.

"Second blood to you Ryuusaga." Otto said as he put away the sword.

Hitoshi narrowed his eyes. Just what was this guy planning. It was obvious that he was dangerous but just how strong was he? Hitoshi had never directly fought Otto before but he knew that Otto knew some magic. This was going to be a long fight if Otto decided to use magic.

"I cant understand why you insist on coming here. We meant you no harm. We simply wanted to stay on our throne and govern. It was our duty Ryuusaga. It was our duty to protect you. And I must say, we failed. But it was not a failure on our part. You have put _yourself _in danger by coming here. Why coudnt you have stayed safe? In Ennersville? Why? And then you bring along a boy that makes noodles. Why? What evil has corrupted you? You were once a noble family. But I guess all good things come to an end." Otto said as he swung his arm and pointed at Jason. "Pillas!"

Jason couldn't move as a stone pillar swung from the wall and hit him straight on, sending him flying across the room. Otto didn't stop there. Speaking a strange language, he sent attack after attack smashing against Jason. Hitoshi tried to stop him but he himself took a hit and he flew back, unable to stop Otto's vicious attacks.

"Otto! Jason is not even armed! Do you have no honor?" Hitoshi shouted at him angrily.

Otto laughed as he continued to bash Jason. Blood stained the stone chamber as Jason was continuously pummeled by Otto's stone pillars.

"Honor? You have no honor! Bringing a civilian to this place!" Otto laughed as a hail of rocks shot towards Hitoshi.

Hitoshi blocked some with his sword but several went through and Hitoshi felt stings of pain as the rocks hit his body with considerable force. Jason wasn't even moving anymore, just sitting on the ground like he was dead. Hitoshi let out a cry of anger as he ran towards Jason, ignoring the pain as Otto sent jagged pieces of stone blasting through Hitoshi's skin. He knelt down at Jason's side, looking away at how bad some of the bruises were. Jason was staring down at the blood stained floor and he seemed to be laughing.

"Jason! Damn it Jason!" Hitoshi shouted at him in sadness as Jason continued to laugh.

Otto stopped his attack to look at Hitoshi and Jason with pity.

"I really didn't want to do this Ryuusaga. I simply wanted the throne but you intervened. We simply wanted the Circle of War but you intervened. We simply wanted peace but you started a war." Otto said as he created a huge spike of rock with jagged spikes sticking out of it and it hovered above Otto's hand.

Hitoshi grit his teeth and he felt anger run through him. Jason was still laughing softly. Otto looked at Hitoshi and then he closed his eyes.

"Finish it."

Hitoshi felt the pain shoot through him and he looked down, the spike of rock impaled through his chest. Hitoshi saw Otto's face one last time and then his vision started to go white.

**The Shrine of Julius**

Skorm held the book in his hand and he showed it to Tate. The young commander was starting to calm down now although she was deathly afraid of the shadow that was standing before her.

"Balviron. One of my greatest creations. All magic can be learned from here. Some more powerful than others. Only I can destroy it as I am the creator." Skorm said as he put the book back down at the alter.

Skorm turned to face the 2 young women and he looked at each of them carefully. .

"But what will you do with the Circle of War? Hmm? Oh, yes, I know all your secrets." Skorm said happily as he looked at Lidia's shocked face.

Lidia looked away, trying not to show any emotion. If Skorm knew about the Circle, he could use it for supreme evil… Skorm laughed darkly as Lidia looked away.

"You have no fear of me using the Circle. I would never touch Matsu's work. Disgusting pieces of metal. The gods have cursed him and I. A Blacksmith and an Author. I can not come into contact with his work and he can not come into contact with mine. But my question still stands…what will you do with the Circle of War?" Skorm asked Lidia as she stood there, thinking.

Tate gulped slowly. She had heard of the Circle as a rumor but had never met someone that actually thought it was real. Suddenly Tate realized something she had never thought about. All those explorations! They must have been to find the pieces of the circle! She started to shake realizing what was about to happen. Lidia looked over at Tate and smiled a bit. Then she turned to Skorm.

"I intend to destroy Adrianople. I promised the Witch Queen." Lidia explained to him.

"Destroy Adrianople? Now? You are too late Lidia. Adrianople has been a dying city since the Plague Age*. Sad but true. And I believe that your little friend is about to make the city die. Once the circle is complete, the city will die. Of course, the damage will be minimal due to how damaged the city is already." Skorm said as he moved slowly from side to side.

Tate could feel dread lock into her. The city was dead. She let out a hoarse cough and she shivered.

"T-the book. Destroy the book…" Tate coughed, starting to feel even more sick.

Lidia turned to Skorm. The book must be destroyed to make sure that no one could ever read its evil words.

"Please, destroy the book." Lidia begged Skorm.

Skorm turned around and looked at the book. Skorm muttered a few words and soon, the book was violently shaking and out popped, a boy? Skorm didn't seem to be surprised. The boy was young, around 7 years old, his hair short and blonde. His eyes were different colors, Red on his left and Blue on his right. He seemed to be annoyed, wearing white colored shorts and an olive green colored t-shirt.

"What is it you want Skorm. I was in an important meeting with the goddesses." The boy snapped angrily.

Skorm laughed and picked the boy up by his head. The boy screamed in protest and struggled.

"Skorm you bastard! How dare you pick up the god of evil!" the boy shouted in protest.

Skorm didn't look worried as he talked to the boy. Lidia and Tate were completely bewildered by the boy. He was, living inside the book?

"Why hello there Blood Saint. I believe that you haven't been officially appointed and unfortunately, I had to pull you out so you could explain to Lidia and Tate what the risks are." Skorm said as he put the boy down and the boy glared at Skorm as he turned to the book.

The boy walked towards Lidia and Tate. He seemed to be incredibly angry.

"Ok, listen up. As Skorm destroys the book, you must know a few things. Firstly, that the Balvrion is a cursed book and that when destroyed, the curse will attach itself to any human being in the room. Second, destroying the book will open a new future, whether that be good or bad. Everything that happens in the world is the lesser of 2 evils and Skorm has chosen that the book must be destroyed. So, prepare yourselves." The Blood Saint said darkly as he stepped back and Skorm slammed his fist down on the book.

The book seemed to be melting at first and then suddenly it started to burn and then all that was left was a pile of ashes. Lidia gasped as she fell back, almost hitting her head on the Shrine door. Skorm smiled and The Blood Saint looked satisfied.

"The doors have been opened, Lidia. You must choose on your own. And remember that you will always be carrying the burdens you have chosen to undertake. For you, are the lesser of 2 evils." Skorm and the Blood Saint said together and the 2 faded away into the air.

**?**

"Sit, have a cup of tea."**

Hitoshi started to wake up, his head hurting like mad. He looked up to see that he was sitting in the middle of some sort of building. It was a huge wooden building but it was empty. Besides the strange woman sitting at one of the tables, holding a pot of tea. Hitoshi sat up and he walked over to the table and sat down with the woman.

The woman was short, long blue hair like Levy and wore a black cloak and had green eyes. She held out the pot of tea once again and Hitoshi picked up the cup and the woman poured the tea into the cup. Hitoshi put the cup down and looked at the woman.

"W-who are you?" he asked her.

The woman looked down at the pot of tea and sighed.

"Who am I? Everyone asks that question…" the woman sighed. "My name is Malice. I was a Fairy Tail ace and we are currently sitting inside the guild building.

Hitoshi looked around the guild. He had never actually been inside Fairy Tail but had heard of it. But where were the guild members? Malice nodded and sipped her own tea.

"I know what you are thinking. Where are the guild members right? They are fighting. Fighting for their own freedom. But that doesn't matter right now. I was once here, sitting right where you were sitting. But at the other end of the table was an old woman. And now," Malice pointed at the cup of tea that was sitting in front of Hitoshi. "It is your turn to drink tea."

Hitoshi felt angry for some reason. He should be out fighting Otto! Not drinking tea with some weird woman! He had to defend his friend Jason! He was about to stand up when Malice stopped him. She looked into Hitoshi's eyes.

"Do not stand up. If you do, you lose your chance to return. If you truly wish to defend your friend Jason, drink the tea. You don't realize it now, but one day, you will be the one speaking to another lost traveler." Malice said to him as she sighed and sipped her own tea.

Hitoshi narrowed his eyes. This was all too weird.

"Why aren't you returning then? You are drinking tea after all." Hitoshi asked Malice.

Malice put the cup down slowly and looked at Hitoshi. She smiled and her eyes seemed to twinkle.

"But that's the best part. Im already dead. I have been for over 100 years. I have been waiting for you Hitoshi Ryuusaga, for 100 years I have been sitting here, waiting for you to drink your tea. Don't disappoint me." Malice said as she pointed to the tea.

Hitoshi slowly picked up the tea and drank it. It tasted bitter but Hitoshi drank all of it. Malice smiled and put down her tea cup. Hitoshi started to feel sick and he let out a scream as a burning pain shot through his body.

"_I have been waiting Hitoshi. For your entire life, I have waited and watched. Now is the time to claim your revenge. Crush the opposition!"_

…

"Dead already? That's disappointing. I thought you would die within 2 minutes but I guess 3 seconds is enough." Otto said as he looked down at Hitoshi's bloody body, the jagged spike gone from his chest.

Otto turned to walk out of the chamber when Hitoshi's eyes slowly opened. Hitoshi struggled to his feet, his chest feeling like it was on fire. Hitoshi's blood dripped down his chest and his entire body as he stood up and a glowing yellow sword appeared in his hand. Otto whipped around and looked shocked.

"B-but…but I-"

"Silence whelp! It is time to end this fight!" Hitoshi shouted in a powerful voice that didn't sound like his own and he ran forward, the sword shining.

Otto glared and he dodged the sword, shocked at how fast Hitoshi had become. Otto created a huge boulder and shot it at Hitoshi but the boulder split in half as Hitoshi basted through and chopped through every attack Otto used.

Otto landed on the ground and growled. Looks like conventional attacks weren't enough. Well, he hadn't bothered to test it out but this was the perfect opportunity.

"God Slayer! The Earth's Judgment!" Otto shouted as hundreds of pieces of stone molded together to create several hundred humanoid forms made of stone.

They ran towards Hitoshi and they jumped on top of him, biting him, punching him, kicking him. If Hitoshi had not been fueled by rage, he would have died there. But instead, Hitoshi held out his hand. And he cut down every single humanoid shape that was attacking him without even breathing. Otto staggered back, shocked at this sudden show of extreme power and he continued to fight.

"Earth God Slayer's Divine Wrath!" Otto shouted as rocks tore up from the stone chamber and blasted across the room towards Hitoshi.

Hitoshi cut through the rocks and held up his sword. It glowed white for a second and rocks flew towards Otto, hitting him and smashing him back against the wall.

"What! You! You copied my attack!" Otto screamed at Hitoshi as he came closer, eyes burning with fury.

"Feel the power of the Ryuusaga family! Ryuusaga's ultimate treasure!" Hitoshi shouted as he swung the sword across Otto's chest, breaking through the huge golem and the boulder shield had created.

Otto fell backward, clutching his chest and instead of blood, came sand. He fell back against the stone chamber's wall and he breathed deeply and he slumped and closed his eyes.

"_You will not die here Otto. You still have a debt to pay to me, your master."_

Hitoshi had been carrying disappeared in a flash of light and Hitoshi staggered over to where Jason was. He knelt down and looked down at Jason's pale face. He had stopped laughing and he was breathing slowly. He spoke softly to Hitoshi.

"T-the n-noodles…" Jason said quietly.

Hitoshi nodded and he sat next to Jason helping him recover from the vicious wounds Otto had inflicted on him. Hitoshi would never forget the woman's words.

"She was waiting for me, this whole time, for me to drink my tea…"

**Cyrus**

For some reason, Cyrus had found himself in the huge treasury. It stood in the exact place where the old tombs of the Silence Uprising were but Cyrus had ordered them to be destroyed. As he entered, he saw Ortega, putting every last coin inside of bags. Ortega turned around at the sound of Cyrus' footsteps and he bowed to Cyrus.

"My lord, I am just preparing to load the treasury so that we can escape with our funds to the Eastern Continent. I-"

Ortega staggered back and Cyrus flicked his wrist, blood flying from his black iron blade. Ortega looked down in horror to see a huge wound in his chest and he fell backwards, over the bag of money and he landed in the huge pile of gold coins, staining them red with his blood. Cyrus wiped the blood off of his blade on the sack of coins and looked down at Ortega as his blood spilled across the marble floors and the coins.

"Fool." Cyrus spat. "Did you really think I would not figure out your treachery? That you and other generals were planning to overthrow me? What do you take me for? A fool? Me, Cyrus the Ironfisted, who killed his sisters in cold blood in order to take the crown and not even feel a shred of regret. Yes Ortega. It was me who killed my sisters. Not some boulder. And now, here you lay, dying a traitor's death."

Cyrus walked over to the sack of money and he picked it up and brought it to where Ortega lay, shivering as he died. Cyrus narrowed his eyes and his face twisted into one of the evilest faces ever seen.

"You loved money so much. Here, let me bury you in it!" Cyrus shouted evilly as he poured the coins all over Ortega's body and threw the sack on top.

"HAHAHAHA! FOOLS! I AM THE STATE! I AM THE ONE WHO WILL RULE THIS EMPIRE FOR YEARS TO COME!" Cyrus shouted at the pile of coins.

Suddenly Cyrus heard the great iron doors of the treasury slowly open and he turned to see Hyde, standing there, sword already drawn. Cyrus smiled.

"Oh, you are here. I have been looking forward to this." Cyrus reached into his cloak and he pulled out a golden disk. "Looking for this? Well then you are going to have to kill me for it!"

Cyrus charged at Hyde with a shout and the battle for the future of Fiore and the Garlan Empire began.

***Refer to my profile for this although it should be obvious what it is.**

****There was a scene exactly like this in Malice Story. If you don't remember it, go back and read it. I believe it is the last chapter or somewhere around there. But this time, it is Malice. I think you can figure out what happened. **

**And there is the chapter! I was originally planning to finish the story today but I decided not to and I ran out of time. I hope you guys liked it and the next chapter is the finale of the 2****nd**** Fairy Tail Fanfiction series by Fatherfail! Hope you guys enjoyed this so far! FF**


	10. I am the State

**Ah…here we are. The end of another Fairy Tail series. Oh btw, I didn't have school today. So I had some time to do this. Also, I apologize for the really short fight between Hyde and Cyrus. Im not that good at sword fights. And with the end of this series, well we can say safely that this is going to be the last series for a while. Sorry guys ): **

**Uh, anyways, please enjoy and make sure to drop a review. **

Hyde stumbled back, barely managing to block the sword strike and surprised at Cyrus' speed. Cyrus continued to send blow after blow at Hyde and easily parried and tried to get in his own attacks to even the opposition out.

"Cyrus! Its time for you to pay!" Hyde shouted as the swords hit each other and the 2 stood there, staring at each other angrily.

Cyrus didn't seem worried as he looked up and down Hyde's blade, laughing when he saw the markings in the blade.

"So its true. You hold the sword." Cyrus said as he jumped back and brought up his sword in defense.

Hyde did the same and pointed his sword at Cyrus. Hyde was still confused. The sword had come up again. Just what was so special about this sword? Hyde glanced at the shining steel blade and he looked at the symbols that went up the blade. Then he looked at Cyrus who was smirking.

"Just what is so special about this blade! Tell me!" Hyde shouted at Cyrus.

"The blade you hold, is the blade of Peter Evadeus. The words inscribed in the blade are from a language so ancient it has been long forgotten. Yulfsteinian. The sword is to be passed from one king to another but it was lost! Lost forever after Darius was killed in battle! And now, you somehow hold it in your hands. I will take it from you after I kill you and I will complete the circle. I will rule with absolute authority! Like Serex Yosser before me, but I will prevail!" Cyrus shouted insanely as he jumped forward, swinging the sword like mad.

Hyde jumped back quickly, avoiding the sickle like blade. Hyde gripped the hilt tightly, looking for a weakness in Cyrus' defense. Cyrus slashed across Hyde's waist and he felt some pain come through and he looked down to see that blood was coming through his clothes. Cyrus stepped back and lowered his blade.

"Do you know where we stand Hyde? We stand on the very place where the ancient tombs used to stand." Cyrus said to Hyde as Hyde gripped his sword even tighter.

"But why…" Hyde growled darkly. "Why did you destroy them. A century of heritage, lost. Because of your foolish actions!"

Hyde charged forward, swinging the steel blade and the 2 swordsmen met in the center of the treasury and they looked at each other with contempt written all over their faces.

"It was simple. The other tombs were merely collateral damage. Nothing more. I was really after," Cyrus parried Hyde's hit as they jumped apart. "Julius' tomb. That was all I wanted to destroy."

Hyde let out a cry of rage as he struck at Cyrus as he moved around Hyde, blade up to defend himself.

"Why the tombs anyway! Why!" Hyde shouted angrily at Cyrus.

"Because that is what I believe! That is what I believe Hyde! I am a Pagan! Like my father before me and my sons after me! You believe in strange gods who play with the minds of men like they are toys!" Cyrus shouted in rage as his blade hit Hyde's and a ringing noise went through the chamber.

"But Julius was the champion of good! I will avenge him!" Hyde shouted as he ducked around Cyrus' blade as it swung past, kicked Cyrus' leg and then he ended with his blade to Cyrus' neck. The ironfisted king kneeling, blade touching his neck.

Cyrus smiled slowly and the golden piece he had been clutching tightly for so long fell to the floor. The golden piece seemed to vibrate and suddenly Hyde's pack loosened and the other 2 pieces floated in the air. The 3 pieces fused together and landed in Hyde's other hand. Cyrus laughed slowly as he saw the Circle of War completed before him.

"Its over Hyde. Kill me now and take your place as the most powerful man in the world! The power is rightly yours!" Cyrus cackled as Hyde stared at the piece.

"_**NO."**_

The strong resounding voice came from Hyde's mouth but it didn't seem to belong to him. Cyrus' eyes widened with horror when he saw that Hyde's eyes were no longer there and had been replaced with glowing white balls of light.

"_**I am Matsu. The world's first magical Blacksmith and this piece rightly belongs to someone else. It will go to someone else and they will use it as they seem fit. You, Cyrus, will face trial when you die."**_

"Let that trial be now! I am an innocent man! Never have I done anything that harmed anyone with legitimate malice!" Cyrus howled at Hyde.

The doors to the treasury burst open and Lidia and Tate came in, eyes widening when they saw Cyrus kneeling before Hyde, the sword touching the king's neck. Tate dropped to her knees.

"Your majesty!" she cried out.

"_**Silence! He is no longer your king!"**_

Lidia took slow steps forward and Hyde reached out, the circle in his hand. Lidia slowly took it, hands trembling. She thought she would never see this day. She looked up at Hyde and was frightened to see that Hyde didn't appear to be who he was.

"_**Speak. Do what you will with the lowly man who kneels before you. Speak first and then make your decision."**_

Lidia nodded and she looked at the center of the circle and read the words on the completed artifact. The artifact glowed and the middle piece started to click and the golden plate split in two and opened up to reveal a small lacrima. She stood there, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders and then she spoke, her voice powerful and demanding.

**Castle courtyard**

"Where are the king's orders! We cant just have these 2 prisoners standing here all day!" shouted one of the generals.

Lucia and Tadaaki had been standing against the wall, half a dozen guns and autobows pointed at them for about 4 hours. They had already accepted death. Suddenly there was a metallic shriek that made everyone cover their ears and cry out in agony.

"**Hear me! Your king has been defeated! I am Lidia Evadeus, daughter of Cyrus the Ironfisted! No longer is Cyrus the king! I am the Queen of the Garlan Empire now! Stand down and all will be forgiven! Release all prisoners!"**

"Release the prisoners!" the soldiers cried as they withdrew their guns and glared at the 2 mages who dropped to the ground in relief.

They had been victorious!

**The Southern Continent**

Amazingly, Lidia's voice carried over the entire world, every word she spoke was heard by everyone living in the world. And in the Garlan Capital of Nika (once known as Pvelnia) the words of Lidia brought outrage to the citizens she would one day rule.

"**From this day forward, the Garlan Empire will be split! I am now giving control of Fiore to Tate Hohenheim and handing power to her as the first Queen of the Hohenheim Empire! Tate shall be Queen and I will be the Empress, ruling in name only! Also, the Wizard Council shall be formed once again!"**

Cries of outrage broke out in the Consulate and in the Senate and Lord General Delon declared martial law and brought soldiers to put down riot all over Nika.

"These are the words of your queen and empress!" he shouted as the army flooded into the Senate and Consul, arresting those who refused to go quietly.

**The Fortress**

"**The Darian Code will be dissolved! These laws have been cruel although well maintaining this empire. New rules will be written! The families of those who have fought for me will be immortalized! The following shall receive rewards for their service to me. Tadaaki Ryuusaga, you will become General Ryuusaga of the Red Army! Hitoshi Ryuusaga, Lucia Tsubasa and Tate Hohenheim, you will be the Consulate! These are my words! Heed them!"**

Lidia sighed and looked down. Her friends were most likely exhausted and here she was, giving orders to everyone.

"_**And what of Cyrus."**_

Lidia looked at her father, who was closing his eyes, waiting for his head to be removed from his shoulders.

"Let him go. He is my father and he cared for me when I was weak and defenseless." Lidia said sadly.

"_**As you wish."**_

And with that, Hyde shuddered and the sword clattered to the ground and Hyde followed suit, landing in a pile of gold coins. Lidia knelt down next to Hyde and Hyde coughed.

"W…what the hell…" Hyde sputtered and coughed.

"Shhh. Don't try to speak. You are hurt. I also forgot to reward you for your outstanding service to the Garlan Crown. Hyde, I am asking that you marry me." Lidia said softly to him.

…**.**

_A week passed since Lidia took power as the Queen of the Garlan Empire. It was agreed upon that the ruling families of the Hohenheim Empire would stay in the same fortress. Norman's body was found and buried with full awards of a Dark Water Admiral. Otto and Bartholomew were both captured and put under house arrest and their claims to the throne were made invalid. Strangely, Otto was found dead soon after, his body smashed on the rocks below his room balcony. No one knew if it was murder, accident or suicide._

_Bartholomew grew up, married and had a son and a daughter. Hitoshi, Tadaaki and Lucia were well prepared for their new jobs and they were very happy. Hyde married Lidia and became her consort. Jason return to Jay's noodle shop and took over after Jay died. _

_Cyrus spent the rest of his life in a deep madness and but managed to live for a long time before finally dying while playing Chess with himself. Mourning was long within the palace although it was a celebration outside of the fortress walls. _

_And with the lesser of 2 evils being identified, madness was gone. But how long would it last? For the words of the Blood Saint and Skorm haunted Lidia forever. Lidia would never sleep soundly, forever tormented by the curse of Balviron._

**And there we go! I hope you guys enjoyed the ending! And I will have the new story ready within a day or something like that! Thanks! FF**


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